Proposed homeless shelter in Randburg CBD
BLAIRGOWRIE – Josh needs residents support to get an overnight shelter accommodation approved by the City of Johannesburg.
The founder of the Johannesburg Organisation of Services to Homeless (Josh), Mary Gillett-De Klerk, told residents that the plight of vagrants would not vanish overnight.
She addressed residents of the greater Randburg area last week at the Blairgowrie Recreational Centre about the application for an overnight homeless shelter in Randburg CBD. Most residents supported the idea of helping homeless people who are usually loitering around the streets but objected to the overnight shelter. Some insisted that the shelter on Selkirk Avenue in the Randburg CBD would attract more homeless people in the area and decreases the value of properties.
Gillett-De Klerk said the shelter was expected to accommodate 60 homeless people during the night. She urged residents to get involved by sponsoring the organisation and supporting the application. “Help us to enable the homeless people to be our clients, not vagrants. Support our application or Josh will close its doors,” she said. She further explained that the organisation was in dire need of funds. “We have started approaching some of the estate agencies who are willing to work with us but we need your support to make the whole project sustainable,” she explained.
Linden Community Policing Forum (LCPF) chairperson, Lara Bath, said the shelter was not a rehabilitation centre but a place to accommodate homeless people who require assistance. “We support the shelter as it significantly strengthens our security system,” she said. She explained that the shelter would help capture the details of the homeless people. “The shelter is a rule-based system. We keep the database and record their details including fingerprints. This helps us to know the people on our streets,” she said.
Ward 102 Councillor, David Potter, chaired the meeting and promised that he would submit the residents’ comments to the City Council.
Details: Ward 102 Councillor, David Potter, david@oursuburb.co.za; Josh: 011 886 0025.
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